Excerpt: ...n on Plaintiff Lorie Jones' Complaint. For the reasons below, summary judgment is warranted. A. Legal Standard on Summary Judgment "A party may move for summary judgment in an action or proceeding if it is contended that the action has no merit or that there is no defense to the action or proceeding." (Code Civ. Proc., S 437c, subd. (a)(l).) A cause of action has no merit if one or more of its elements cannot be separately established or an affir...

Excerpt: ...y sanctions against plaintiff Daniel Jay Fried's counsel and the court GRANTS plaintiff Daniel Jay Fried's motion for leave to augment his expert designation on the following conditions: (1) Joseph R. Pohlot be made available no later than January 3, 2024 and plaintiff pay the cost for an expediated deposition transcript (responsible only for the cost associated with the expediated amount); (2) defendant may designate its own expert economist no ...

Excerpt: ...ourt repeats the tentatve issued on December 11, 2023: The court rules on plaintiff Delma Jefferson's motion for leave to file an amended complaint (Plaintiff moves to file a "Second" Amended Complaint, but the record shows that no First Amended Complaint is on file) as follows: Defendant Brayan Perez properly objects that plaintiff failed to provide proper notice yet also responded substantively on the merits. A defendant who does not receive pr...

Excerpt: ...location of the hearing].) The parties should be aware that the Hon. Nancy L. Fineman, Department 4 is located at the Central Courthouse, Department G, 800 North Humboldt St., San Mateo, CA 94401. The court provided this information to the parties through the tentative ruling for the April 4, 2023 hearing and the hearing's minutes. Defense counsel is ordered to contact plaintiff by 4:00 p.m. on Monday, December 18, 2023 to provide the proper loca...

Excerpt: ...e regular law and motion calendar, if the court determines that the parties need more time for argument, the court will set another hearing for further briefing. One party has called Department 4 about a power point presentation and, if time allows, the court has no objection to such a presentation. Defendants seek judgment on the pleadings. By stipulation, the parties agreed that this motion is the "proper procedural vehicle to resolve the issue...

Excerpt: ... many of its vehicles, including a vehicle sold to Plaintiff, thereby fraudulent concealing a material defect in the vehicles and putting Plaintiff and other consumers at increased risk. AHM demurs to the second cause of action in the Complaint, fraudulent concealment, on the following grounds: (1) failure to state a cause of action because Plaintiff has not adequately alleged that AHM owed Plaintiff a duty of disclosure; (2) uncertainty, unintel...

Excerpt: ...cause of action and are uncertain. (Notice at p. 2 citing Code Civ. Proc., S 430.10, subd. (e),(f).) The court agrees. The court first notes that the proofs of service ("POS") of defendant's demurrer, supporting documents and reply do not include plaintiff's zip code although plaintiff includes it in the complaint and the zip code is in the court file. The United States Post Office explains that zip code delays delivery. (https://faq.usps.com/s/a...

Excerpt: ...issues to be adjudicated and is supported by an 18-page Separate Statement of undisputed Material Facts. Plaintiffs' Opposing Separate Statement is more than three times as long and supported by 60 exhibits consuming more than 1,300 pages. Plaintiffs' Opposing Separate Statement does not further the purpose of the Separate Statement requirement, but rather hinders it. Plaintiffs' Opposing Separate Statement does not allow the Court to easily iden...

Excerpt: ... Cory L Cooper ("Cooper"), a real estate agent who was associated with Defendant Dwell Realtors ("Dwell") at the time of the transaction, failed to properly obtain Mr. Driker's signature on the cancellation addendum. Plaintiff then decided again to sell the property in 2021 and hired Cooper, who was by then associated with Defendant Compass California II, Inc. ("Compass"), to facilitate the sale, again to Mr. Driker. Shortly after Plaintiff hired...

Excerpt: ...ritten notice of the formal order. The First Amended Complaint (the "FAC") asserts two causes of action, for conversion and for intentional infliction of emotional distress ("IIED"). Vinogradova demurs here to the second cause of action for IIED on the grounds of uncertainty and that fails to state facts sufficient to state a cause of action. (Code of Civ. Proc., S 430.10, subd. (e)—(f).) Vinogradova offered no argument in support of her specia...

Excerpt: ...iary duty," and "breach of contract") the Demurrer is OVERRULED. As to Cause of Action No. 2 ("elder abuse"), the Demurrer is SUSTAINED WITHOUT LEAVE TO AMEND. (Code Civ. Proc. sect. 430.10(e).) Defendants' 10-24-23 Request for Judicial Notice (RJN) is GRANTED as to Exhs. A & B (Evid. code sect. 452(c)), and GRANTED as to Exhs. C, D, E(l), (2), and (3), and F (Evid. code sect. 452(d).) The RJN is DENIED as to Exhs. E(4), (5) and (6) on grounds th...

Excerpt: ...ts filed their Demurrer to the initial Complaint, plaintiff Martin Lanfranco ("Plaintiff") filed a First Amended Complaint ("FAC"). he parties stipulated that the Demurrer would be treated as a Demurrer to the FAC instead, and the stipulation was approved by the Court. (Stipulation and Order filed November 30, 2023.) Thus, the Court treats this Demurrer as a Demurrer to the FAC. Defendants loan Depot and Perrez's Demurrer to the First Cause of Ac...

Excerpt: ...to Compel Arbitration, in which defendant Giyasim Babayev has joined, is GRANTED pursuant to Code of Civil Procedure, secton 1281.2. Where a party petitions the court alleging the existence of a written arbitration agreement, contends that another part refuses to arbitrate a controversy covered by the agreement, and the court determines that an agreement to arbitrate the controversy exists, it shall order the parties to arbitration unless the cou...

Excerpt: ...aint at paragraphs 36—37, 39, and 4142. Plaintiffs Abdulrahman Alkablany and Majdy Alkablany shall, jointly and severally, pay Defendants Severum, LLC's and Dean Najdawi's reasonable attorney fees in the amount of $4,000 no later than thirty (30) days after service of written notice of this order. Defendants Severum, LLC's and Dean Najdawi's Objections to Evidence are SUSTAINED as to items nos. 1 and 4—5 and OVERRULED as to nos. 2—3 and 6. ...

Excerpt: ...ss-Defendants Route Advisors, Miriam Liang, and Joe Liang. (Code Civ. Proc., S 418.10.) Route Advisors and the Liangs did not waive the right to challenge personal jurisdiction. Crosscomplainants ZRa',' Transportation, Inc. and Araceli Avellaneda argue that by filing a demurrer together with a motion to quash service of Summons, Route Advisors and the Liangs have made a general appearance, and thus have waived the right to challenge personal juri...

Excerpt: ...PEAR (Zoom appearance is acceptable), and if possible, their clients should be available for consultation. By ex parte application, the court put this motion on calendar on shortened time. Due to Judge Fineman's mistake, she put the date for opposition as the date of the hearing. The court appreciates counsel for defendants Yafei Liu, Chao Liu and Zhiying Qui (collectively opposing defendants) filing their opposition on December 5, 2023. If any o...

Excerpt: ...ded to the Court, preferably at the time that the notice of motion and other motion papers are filed. At the outset, the Court is hard-pressed to evaluate the merits of the motion without first being able to determine that service was proper, as service and notice are so fundamental to concepts of due process as to be deemed jurisdictional in nature. (Oats v. Oats (1983) 148 Cal.App.3d 416, 420.) Plaintiff's opposition brief rests solely on the i...

Excerpt: ...motion for leave to file an amended complaint (Plaintiff moves to file a "Second" Amended Complaint, but the record shows that no First Amended Complaint is on file) as follows: Defendant Brayan Perez properly objects that plaintiff failed to provide proper notice yet also responded substantively on the merits. A defendant who does not receive proper notice is in a difficult position. (Robinson v. Woods (2008) 168 Cal.App.4th 1258, 1267-1268 [dis...

Excerpt: ... Morgan Hill v. Brown (1999) 71 Cal.App.4th 1114, 1126.) First, the court determines whether plaintiff may bring the action and force the claimants to interplead. (ld. at pp. 1126-1127.) Second, if it is so determined, then the court discharges plaintiff and then determines the rights of the various claimants to the property deposited with the court. (ld. at p. 1127.) In this case, Plaintiff has not demonstrated that all Defendants have answered ...

Excerpt: ..., and DENIES the request as to Exhibit 2. The court notes that the notice to the demurrer is not signed, plaintiff does not object and the court finds the error nonconsequential. Counsel though is reminded to make sure that all pleadings are signed. Legal Standard on Demurrer The purpose of a demurrer is to test the legal sufficiency of the facts alleged in the operative complaint to see whether they state a cause of action under any legal theory...

Excerpt: ...bitration Provision) (RJN, Ex. A); (2) Costco Member Offer Program 4Q 2020 Incentive, Customer - Dealer Agreement and Pricing Sheet (Ex. B); and (3) 2020 Traverse FWD LS Vehicle Window Label ("Monroney Sticker") (Ex. C). (Evid. Code S 452, subd. (h).) None of the requested documents are referred to in the Complaint. (Contra RJN, p. 1:12-16 (citing to Complaint "1 14, 16, 48, 51, 53, 59, 61—62, 65, 71, 91, 109, 113).) The Court finds distinguish...

Excerpt: ... As a preliminary matter, the First Amended Complaint (the "FAC") included a fourth cause of action for civil conspiracy in violation of the Court's order granting leave to amend. The cause of action was not included in the prior Complaint, and Gibbs was given leave to amend only to assert a personal claim for damages identified in the Complaint's first three causes of acton. (Aug. 22, 2023 Order.) While the fourth cause of action is therefore su...

Excerpt: ...0 for an order compelling Plaintiff Swenberg to provide responsive documents to the Document Request Nos. 21, 22, 80, 88, 89, 100-103, 105, and 113-118 which were attached to Dmarcian's Second Amended Notice of Continued Deposition to Plaintiff. In particular, Dmarcian seeks the production of the following documents: First category: mitigation documents Relating to Agari: consulting agreement, invoices, records of payments, and any 1099 form from...

Excerpt: ... DISCOVERY PROCESS BY PLAINTIFFS OLE TRAVEL INC. AND OLE VENTURES INC. TENTATIVE RULING: The Motion of Plaintiffs Ole! Travel Inc. and Ole Ventures Inc. ("Plaintiffs") for Monetary Sanctions, Issue Sanctions, Evidentiary Sanctions, Terminating Sanctions and/or Contempt Sanctons against Defendant Timothy Alexander is DENIED WITHOUT PREJUDICE. Plaintiffs filed this Motion on March 5, 2023, which was originally set for hearing on September 11, 2023....

Excerpt: ..., and OVERRULED in part as to the general demurrer to the SAC as being barred by collateral estoppel, as follows. Defendant's Request for Judicial Notice is GRANTED pursuant to Cal. Evidence Code Section 452(d). Collateral Estoppel as to Entire SAC OVERRULED. Collateral estoppel applies when an issue determined in a prior adjudication is identical to that presented in a subsequent action, the prior adjudication resulted in a determination on the ...